Written statement: Independent Review of Social Work Professional Regulation in England - July 9

Minister for Children and Families (Josh MacAlister): On 5 November 2025, I informed the House that the Secretary of State for Education had commissioned Dame Annie Hudson to undertake the statutory independent review of the operation of Part 2 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017. I am now updating the House to confirm that the review has concluded and that today I am laying before Parliament Dame Annie Hudson's review report together with the Government response. The review and the Government response relate to Social Work England and the regulation of social workers in England.

I would like to thank Dame Annie Hudson, the review team, and the many stakeholders who contributed evidence and insight to this important review.

The review was asked to assess how effectively Social Work England is discharging its statutory functions and delivering against its statutory objectives, and to consider whether changes are needed to support more effective regulation and improved standards in social work practice.

The review recognises progress since Social Work England was established, including maintaining the register, developing its regulatory approach and standards, completing its first round of inspections, progressing equalities work, and developing approaches to early resolution of concerns.

The review nevertheless concludes that there is a clear case for change to secure sustained improvement. It identifies the need for stronger performance in core regulatory functions, particularly fitness to practise; greater clarity about the role and remit of Social Work England; and stronger governance, sponsorship and accountability arrangements. It also calls for a more coherent standards landscape across professional regulation, qualifying education and post-qualifying development; clearer expectations for employers and the wider system; and better use of data, transparency and equalities analysis.

The Government accepts the review's central conclusion that sustained improvement is needed in social work regulation in England. This is a shared improvement agenda. Social Work England has a central role in delivering effective regulation, but Government, employers and wider partners also have responsibilities. The Government response therefore sets out the action we expect Social Work England to take, the steps Government will take to strengthen sponsorship and system coherence, and the areas where further work with partners will be needed.

Social workers do vital work with children, families and adults, often in complex and challenging circumstances. Effective professional regulation is essential to public protection, public confidence and high professional standards. It is therefore important that Social Work England is focused on delivering its regulatory functions effectively and that improvement is practical, visible and sustained.

Fitness to practise is the most significant operational priority identified by the review. It is central to public protection and public confidence. The Government recognises that fitness to practise pressures are not unique to Social Work England, and that regulators across sectors are managing increasing case volumes and complexity. However, delays, poor communication and insufficient grip across the end-to-end process affect everyone involved: people who raise concerns, social workers under investigation, witnesses, employers and the wider public.

The Government is clear that urgent improvement is required in timeliness, communications, user experience and strategic grip across the end-to-end process. It therefore expects Social Work England to deliver, within six months, an externally supported, end-to-end fitness to practise strategic improvement plan, building on work already underway and bringing existing plans together into a single coherent approach. This must include clear milestones, revised forecasts and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) on timeliness, methods to track progress and arrangements to recalibrate at pace where needed. The Department for Education will provide strengthened oversight, with regular reporting and ministerial visibility of progress, risks and escalation points. If Social Work England does not meet this six-month deadline, or if reporting shows inadequate progress against the plan, the Government will escalate intervention, including through governance, sponsorship and statutory levers available to the Secretary of State.

The Government response also sets out our position on legislative and procedural changes that may support a more effective fitness to practise process. These include issues relating to the lawful sharing and use of relevant information from private family court proceedings, accepted disposal powers, the role of the Professional Standards Authority, information sharing, suspension, and any further changes identified through the fitness to practise strategic improvement plan. We will consider these carefully, including the appropriate route and timing.

The review also makes important findings about the role, leadership and sponsorship of Social Work England. The Government agrees that the regulator's role must be clearly focused on core regulatory functions and remain distinct from professional representation or wider sector improvement activity. This does not prevent proportionate engagement, communications, data and equalities work where these support effective regulation.

Strong leadership, effective challenge and clear accountability will be essential to delivering the improvements required. The Government will work with Social Work England to ensure the Board has the right expertise, including in social work and regulation. The Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care will also strengthen joint working and senior engagement so that sponsorship better reflects both children's and adults' social work and supports clear accountability for progress.

The review also concludes that the standards landscape for social work needs to be more coherent. The Government agrees that social workers, employers, education providers and the public should be able to understand clearly how different standards, frameworks and guidance fit together. The Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care will work with Social Work England and relevant sector bodies to develop an overarching framework, reducing duplication, clarifying the status of different standards and guidance, and supporting a more coherent relationship between qualifying education, professional regulation, continuing professional development, and post-qualifying development. Where the review recommends longer-term changes to post-qualifying standards and assurance, the Government will consider the appropriate route, timing and deliverability, including policy, legal, funding and capacity implications.

As part of this, the Government supports Social Work England reviewing its Education and Training Standards including the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours, and clarifying how they should support assessment in practice placements. The aim should be a clearer and more practice-focused framework for initial qualifying social work education, which supports high and common expectations across children's and adults' social work.

The Government also agrees that better data, transparency, and equalities analysis are essential to effective regulation and public confidence, particularly in understanding fitness to practise outcomes, differential impacts, and the experience of different groups.

The Government will work closely with Social Work England and partners across the sector to deliver practical and sustained improvement, with clear expectations, regular oversight and escalation where progress is not sufficient. Copies of the review report and the Government response will be available on GOV.UK and deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.